How to Cook Like a Southerner

Classic Recipes from the South's Best Down-Home Cooks

Johnnie Gabriel knows a thing or two about cooking for Southerners. The author of two cookbooks, Cooking in the South and Second Helpings, does it every day at Gabriel’s, her restaurant and bakery in Marietta, Georgia.

In How to Cook Like a Southerner, Gabriel isn’t just sharing her recipes; she’s taking her Southern expertise to the next level, offering step-by-step photos for 35 of the most iconic Southern dishes, curating and testing over one hundred recipes from some of the best and most gracious cooks in the South, and offering tips to help you dress up even the most basic recipes for special occasions.

The art and science of cooking has come a long way, creating a gadget for everything from zesting fruit to cutting paper-thin slices of vegetables, but creating delicious Southern food for your family and friends doesn’t require fancy gadgets and high-tech kitchen appliances. Johnnie Gabriel says all you need is a cutting board, a sharp knife, a rolling pin, and a seasoned cast iron skillet, just like her mama did. And because classic Southern dishes were created to use the meats and vegetables that were available in the region, the recipes in How to Cook Like a Southerner call for ingredients you can find at your local grocery store or farmers’ market. No speciality stores or online searches needed.

Making a homemade pie crust for the first time? Let Johnnie show you how. Do you wonder what the difference between a blond, peanut butter, and coffee roux is? How to Cook Like a Southerner will guide you through each level. Wanna learn the tricks Southern grandmothers use for creating the best fried chicken, cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, field peas with snaps, macaroni and cheese, fried green tomatoes, and country fried steak? They’re all here.

So stock up on cornmeal, buttermilk, and sugar and put on your favorite apron. It’s time to learn How to Cook Like a Southerner.